Strong support for WikiLeaks among Australians

By Tim Lester

AUSTRALIAN voters are sharply at odds with Prime Minister Julia Gillard over the release of classified US government cables, a poll shows.

The survey suggests just one-quarter of Australian voters support Ms Gillard's view that the recent WikiLeaks diplomatic cables should have remained secret.

The findings show 59 per cent support WikiLeaks' action in making the cables public and 25 per cent oppose it.

The survey of 1000 Australians by pollster UMR Research was taken between December 16 and 21, three weeks after the cables from US embassies began appearing.

UMR managing director John Utting said support for the release of the cables was strongest among men, the more affluent and younger voters, and the better educated.

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"Also there is little difference between the two major parties, while Green voters overwhelmingly support the release," Mr Utting said.

On December 2, Ms Gillard said: ''I absolutely condemn the placement of this information on the WikiLeaks website - it's a grossly irresponsible thing to do and an illegal thing to do.''

Ms Gillard was later forced to qualify her comments when federal police advised the government that WikiLeaks co-founder Julian Assange had committed no crime under Australian law.

The Prime Minister told a news conference on December 17 that ''the release of all this documentation has been grossly irresponsible'', adding that while others might be fans of WikiLeaks, "Let me make it very, very clear, I am not."

The UMR poll also found 51 per cent of Australian voters have a generally positive opinion of Julian Assange, while 24 per cent hold negative views towards the WikiLeaks leader.

Swedish prosecutors are seeking to extradite Mr Assange from Britain to face sexual assault charges brought by two women in Sweden. A London court is due to hear the application next month.

The legal battle may explain a difference between the views of men and women to emerge in the poll. While 68 per cent of male voters said they support the WikiLeaks release, only 51 per cent of female voters agree.

But on another legal question, support for Julian Assange is clear: 63 per cent of voters oppose any prosecution for releasing the documents, with just 19 per cent believing he should be prosecuted.

According to Mr Utting, "the most significant finding from the polling is the almost complete lack of support for prosecuting Mr Assange … The public is overwhelmingly against this.''